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elenasian's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this but felt like I missed some of the nuances because I read a translated version from Spanish.
marutax's review against another edition
3.0
Choć historia napisana jest przepięknie, to sama w sobie była dość nudna i ostatecznie nie prowadziła donikąd. Wszyscy mówią o wyrachowanej bohaterce wodzącej za nos głównego bohatera, ale o tym jaki on był ślepy, głupi, naiwny i dawał sobą pomiatać to już cisza. Pewnie o to chodziło, żeby pokazać jak to owinęła go sobie wokół palca, ale brak jakichkolwiek przemyśleń Ricardo, jakiejkolwiek refleksji i ostatecznie zmiany po tak trudnych i bolesnych przeżyciach po prostu sprawia, że nie jest on postacią wiarygodną. A co za tym idzie - cała historia jest w mojej opinii naciągana.
Język - to mnie przy tej książce zatrzymało.
Język - to mnie przy tej książce zatrzymało.
daryasilman's review against another edition
4.0
Title in English: The Bad Girl (in other languages, it's 'The Mischief of the Bad Girl').
If the term 'classics' is put before specifying a book's genre like romance, sci-fi, or dystopia, then you have a 99% of guarantee of the high-quality romance, sci-fi, or dystopia. First and foremost, The Bad Girl belongs to a mystical caste of classical literature from a Nobel Prize winner of 2010, Mario Vargas Llosa. Secondly, it's a grandiose romantic novel spanning 40 years and focusing on two characters, Ricardo Somorcusio and the Bad Girl, a girl from the bottom of society whose sole life purpose is becoming rich. Ricardo loves the girl, but she doesn't love him (or loves him in her selfish ways) - that's what readers get after going through more than 500 pages. The novel's uniqueness lies in the lack of characters' development: they stay static and unmovable, not changed by side personages or interpersonal encounters. To keep the reader interested, the novelist lures readers into believing that the couple's dynamic is ready to reconstruct, yet that reconstruction never comes.
The political, societal, and economic developments of the 1940-1980s serve as a background for the romance. The main hero, and readers after him, dive into Peruvian politics, Parisian cultural aspirations, the rise of hippie culture in London, and many more events that shaped that era. The descriptions don't look labored. They feel natural, learned not from papers but from real life (a feature overlooked in our age of Google). And the erotic descriptions! Latino-American authors usually depict intimate moments so precisely and elegantly that vulgarity is impossible. For example, in 'Ada,' Vladimir Nabokov had to use allegories to speak about genitals and love-making. Mario Vargas Llosa doesn't hide behind flowery words: he names the women's parts one by one without any embarrassment, and the erotic moments feel like an integral part of the relationship.
I took one star from my rating because of the abovementioned 'moments of clarity,' because of my futile hopes that, as in modern novels, there will be an unexpected, unforeseen plot twist. It turns out that a story with static characters can also be an exciting read.
If the term 'classics' is put before specifying a book's genre like romance, sci-fi, or dystopia, then you have a 99% of guarantee of the high-quality romance, sci-fi, or dystopia. First and foremost, The Bad Girl belongs to a mystical caste of classical literature from a Nobel Prize winner of 2010, Mario Vargas Llosa. Secondly, it's a grandiose romantic novel spanning 40 years and focusing on two characters, Ricardo Somorcusio and the Bad Girl, a girl from the bottom of society whose sole life purpose is becoming rich. Ricardo loves the girl, but she doesn't love him (or loves him in her selfish ways) - that's what readers get after going through more than 500 pages. The novel's uniqueness lies in the lack of characters' development: they stay static and unmovable, not changed by side personages or interpersonal encounters. To keep the reader interested, the novelist lures readers into believing that the couple's dynamic is ready to reconstruct, yet that reconstruction never comes.
The political, societal, and economic developments of the 1940-1980s serve as a background for the romance. The main hero, and readers after him, dive into Peruvian politics, Parisian cultural aspirations, the rise of hippie culture in London, and many more events that shaped that era. The descriptions don't look labored. They feel natural, learned not from papers but from real life (a feature overlooked in our age of Google). And the erotic descriptions! Latino-American authors usually depict intimate moments so precisely and elegantly that vulgarity is impossible. For example, in 'Ada,' Vladimir Nabokov had to use allegories to speak about genitals and love-making. Mario Vargas Llosa doesn't hide behind flowery words: he names the women's parts one by one without any embarrassment, and the erotic moments feel like an integral part of the relationship.
I took one star from my rating because of the abovementioned 'moments of clarity,' because of my futile hopes that, as in modern novels, there will be an unexpected, unforeseen plot twist. It turns out that a story with static characters can also be an exciting read.
marareads25's review against another edition
3.0
"Das böse Mädchen" handelt von einer Frau, deren Leben sich in so vielen Rollen abspielt dass es irgendwann verwirrend wird. Auf der Suche nach dem guten, reichen Leben, wird ihr Leben durch das Auge eines Mannes erzählt, der Zeit seines Lebens in sie verliebt ist, sie aber nicht halten kann - seine ruhige Natur und ihr Wunsch nach Geld, Reichtum und Aufregung vertragen sich nicht.
Klingt nach Klischee? Ist auch ziemlich Klischee. Und nichtsdestotrotz mitreißend geschrieben - Vargas Llosa eben. Aber wenn es um Rollenklischees geht unschlagbar. Vor allem die Stelle an der er ihr eine Ohrfeige gibt und sie sagt: "Ah, endlich ernst du mit Frauen umzugehen!" - ähm, sonst gehts aber, oder?????
Klingt nach Klischee? Ist auch ziemlich Klischee. Und nichtsdestotrotz mitreißend geschrieben - Vargas Llosa eben. Aber wenn es um Rollenklischees geht unschlagbar. Vor allem die Stelle an der er ihr eine Ohrfeige gibt und sie sagt: "Ah, endlich ernst du mit Frauen umzugehen!" - ähm, sonst gehts aber, oder?????
ronronia's review against another edition
4.0
Es de mis libros menos favoritos del autor, pero un libro malo de Vargas Llosa es, aún así, mejor que uno bueno de la mayoría de otros autores. Que alguien que me cae tan gordo escriba tan bien es una faena y no hay derecho. Aún así, enganchada a la historia de esa mujer que entra y sale de la vida del protagonista igual que si se tratará de una fuerza de la naturaleza, pero también un poco asqueada por esta especie de fantasía masculina tan parcial a la fascinación por la femme fatale, que, por supuesto, ha de pagar con su salud por no ser la mujercita pequeñoburguesa que Ricardito quisiera que fuera.
wigstown's review against another edition
3.0
I would say The Bad Girl is a cheap sentimental thing, but it's more than that. It's a tribute to Flaubert, to Madame Bovary, to women who can't keep their place, and to the men who love them. (Oops, this is sounding a bit like a self-help review!)
Even though it's lusciously written, there is something irritating and unsatisfying about the whole read. Ricardo and his Peruvian girl are co-dependents, too caught up in themselves and their games to see the whole world. They are defined by their passions, and their passions are pretty limited. They are each other's heaven and hell. Ricardo says he can't help loving the bad girl. I say...what's love got to do with it?
Even though it's lusciously written, there is something irritating and unsatisfying about the whole read. Ricardo and his Peruvian girl are co-dependents, too caught up in themselves and their games to see the whole world. They are defined by their passions, and their passions are pretty limited. They are each other's heaven and hell. Ricardo says he can't help loving the bad girl. I say...what's love got to do with it?
pinkanxiety's review against another edition
2.0
Okay, después de haber pasado ya unos años después de leer este libro que en su momento me encantó mucho, puedo decir que hoy le pongo dos estrellas por la misoginia empleada sobre la famosa "Niña Mala".
El libro se me sigue haciendo bueno porque creo que conoces muchos lugares a través de la narración realizada por MVLL, pero definitivamente el crecer es ver las cosas desde otra perspectiva y actualmente no lo recomendaría.
El libro se me sigue haciendo bueno porque creo que conoces muchos lugares a través de la narración realizada por MVLL, pero definitivamente el crecer es ver las cosas desde otra perspectiva y actualmente no lo recomendaría.